Substance Use Disorders
This section provides EMS professionals with resources and training focused on identifying, managing and responding to patients with substance use disorders (SUDs). Articles cover recognition of drug and alcohol use in the field, treatment best practices, harm reduction strategies, and the evolving role of EMS in the opioid crisis. Learn how to address provider safety, compassion fatigue and stigma, while improving patient outcomes through evidence-based care and community partnerships.
St. Charles County Ambulance District has armed medics with screening tools and additional EMS training to get patients to appropriate definitive care
How to add intranasal drugs to the BLS scope of practice, and why it would be a valuable addition to the BLS toolbox
Creating a safe scene begins with understanding how your patient’s mental and physical health connect, and in avoiding these pitfalls
The software creates a real-time hot-spot map that shows first responders where the drug overdoses are occurring
The goal is to provide the bar and restaurant owners the antidote in order to help addicts who overdose – often in bathrooms
Sodium percarbonate is an ingredient in the product, which has been shown to break down fentanyl
Daisha Clark attempted to stop her cousin from bringing Levi Hoyt, 1, to the hospital, saying he “had only bitten a bottle of bug spray”
Police administered naloxone after finding the man unconscious at an Arby’s restaurant
Our co-hosts are joined by Dr. David K. Tan to discuss the recent acknowledgement from the NAEMSP on the position paper from the U.S. Toxicology community
The man called 911 after finding his son on a bed not breathing; the baby was pronounced dead at a hospital
The overdose death rate rose to 3.7 per 100,000 teens in 2015, from 3.1 the previous year
Vincent Weiner was found dead in his bedroom after actively taking the drugs
Dr. Anil Punjabi was about to fall asleep on the airplane when he heard a flight attendant call for help
Learn how four paramedic chiefs are collecting and analyzing data to fight the opioid overdose epidemic in their communities
The driver, who was arraigned for a misdemeanor DUI charge, was found unconscious and revived with naloxone
The goal is to help those who struggle with substance abuse link up with medicated assisted treatment, counseling and regular health checks
The Fayette County Health Department distributed 925 doses from September to April, when the money ran out from a grant they had received to purchase the drug
Over the last year, ACMT and AACT developed the document to satisfy responder requests for fact-based opioid response safety guidance
The president said that the nation’s addiction to opioids is “a serious problem, the likes of which we have never had”
Police said Gloria Gordon kicked the EMT in the face after EMS crews responded to a domestic disturbance call
The state alleges that Purdue Pharma has downplayed the drug’s risk of addiction, overstated its effectiveness and failed to report suspicious prescribers
The EMS providers were transporting a patient when the driver became ill and had to be given naloxone
The president did not announce any new policy, but vowed to work with health professionals and law enforcement on the crisis
A cross-agency collaboration in Lowell, Mass., uses an overdose data-driven approach to improve performance and save lives
Learn how the test strips work, how much they cost and get some resources for establishing a fentanyl test strips program targeting overdose reductions
Some say the new report could have an impact on efforts to establish safe injection sites around the U.S.
Racquel Warburton was charged with a DUI after the car flipped just six inches away from falling into the water
The Start Talking Maryland Act requires schools to offer drug education that includes the dangers of heroin and other opioids starting as early as third grade
“I am surprised that many of the recommendations are actually being followed here in California,” treatment center director Marjeanne Stone said
Artist Kathryn Pannepacke invites people from the front lines of Philadelphia’s opioid epidemic into her store for food and craft projects
“Narcan is more of a Band-Aid, it doesn’t really fix anything,” Madison County EMS Director Carlos Coyle said
EMS experience, overdose patient data and funding needs aren’t mentioned in commission’s national emergency declaration request to President Trump
Dr. Henri Wetselaar, who was also fined $2.5 million, was accused of prescribing large amounts of opioids for no legitimate medical purpose
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